Department of Materials Science and Engineering

nc state university belltower silhouetted against a sunset

Oct 31, 2024

Linking energy loss to interfaces in organic solar cells could make them much more efficient

A new study provides a deeper understanding of what is happening in organic solar cells when light is converted into electricity.

an array of green lights that look like LEDs

Oct 11, 2024

Engineering perovskite materials at the atomic level paves way for new lasers, LEDs

New technique dictates precisely how layered hybrid perovskite materials convert electrical charge into light.

Sep 13, 2024

NC State University joins national energy innovation hub, boosting battery research

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $62.5 million grant supporting a new energy research hub involving 15 research institutions, including North Carolina State University, to advance sustainable and economical electrochemical energy storage for electric grids.

The NC State Belltower at night with red lights streaking toward it.

Sep 4, 2024

Catalyzing creative concepts to solve commercial challenges

NC State University research helps turn today’s ideas into tomorrow’s solutions. That’s core to our land-grant mission. The Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF), a competitive internal seed fund, has proven to be a powerful way we support that mission. Chancellor Randy Woodson established the CIF in 2010 to help more NC State research bridge the gap between public and private…

Aug 19, 2024

Generous contribution by Jake and Jennifer Hooks boosts MSE

Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering extends heartfelt thanks to Jake and Jennifer Hooks for their outstanding…

Two lab technicians dressed in head-to-toe white protective suits work in a nanofabrication facility.

Jul 26, 2024

Pack power

New semiconductor center builds on more than 30 years of NC State research.

Spring blooms around the Memorial Belltower on an April afternoon. Photo by Becky Kirkland.

Jul 26, 2024

Faculty highlights

The latest awards and honors earned by faculty of the College of Engineering at NC State University.

Jul 26, 2024

Research in silicon carbide at NC State goes back decades

When the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in the 1980s wanted to upgrade its radar and communications systems, it considered the possibility of new devices using silicon carbide, a wide bandgap semiconductor (WBG) that can operate at higher voltages and temperatures than silicon.

image on left is labeled 'expanded' and shows 3D grid of pink polymer; image on left is labeled 'contracted' and shows a much smaller grid of the pink polymer, with much smaller gaps between the polymer strands

Jul 24, 2024

3D printing of light-activated hydrogel actuators

3D-printed hydrogels create structures that contract when exposed to light and expand when the light is removed, meaning they can serve as remotely controlled actuators.